Sept. 30-in Minsk

Subject: In Minsk

We arrived here in Minsk late yesterday afternoon by plane from Warsaw, and were met by our driver who whisked us off to our hotel near the city center. There have been many changes since we were here briefly 15 years ago with a bus tour. Lots of new buildings, wide boulevards, and green space.

This am our guide took us to an old farm called Dudutki that is on the idea of King's Landing or Sturbridge Village. Had lunch in a traditional log building and when we got back, took a long walk around one of the central city squares here in Minsk.

Concert Hall Entry Stained Glass

Minsk Traffic

Minsk High Rises

Reconstructed Apartments/Offices

Dudutki Corner with Icon and Embroidery

Warsaw to Minsk

Today we left our elegant hotel, the Polonia Palace, on our flight to Minsk, capital city of Belarus.

Polonia Palace lobby, Warsaw

City view from our hotel-Science and Culture Center

Entryway in Old Town

Kazimierz Dolny market/Warsaw 9/28

Farm produce in Kazimierz Dolny Square

Reconstructed building, Warsaw New Town

Bryant looking kingly in front of Royal Palace, Warsaw

Martha near Old Town and Palace, Warsaw

Buildings in Old Town Square, Warsaw.

Visited the little market in Kazimierz Dolny in the am....great produce and flowers. Then a 3 hour drive to central Warsaw...a beautiful city which has been rebuilt and restored after having been 96% destroyed in the war. Lovely old town and vibrant new town too. We are staying at the Polonia Palace Hotel in downtown Warsaw, which is very elegant!

More Kazimierz Dolny

My favourite Mary of the trip, found in old churchyard

Kazimierz Dolny Cathedral

Nice old door, of which there were many in Poland.  Note hinges.

Main Square, Kazimierz Dolny

Bryant and Wlad relax over espresso before the rain

Here are a few more pictures from our day. Tomorrow morning the market here, then to Warsaw before going to Minsk on Saturday.

Sept. 27, Kazimierz Dolny

Decorative flowers made with dyed wheat

Sign silhouette-roosters seem to be the town's mascot

Rooster image in bread - sold everywhere in Kazimierz Dolny

Kazimierz Dolny castle ruins

Building carving with lobsters (?), main square

A lovely day until about 4:30 when it started to rain as we were heading back to the hotel. Kazimierz Dolny is a touristy spot, with picturesque old houses, a square with several outdoor cafes serving excellent coffee and pastries. The castle and main church are under reconstruction, but still deserved a look. An afternoon boat ride with about 100 grade 1-3 school kids was memorable!  Made us happy to be retired.  We were surprised to see the lobsters carved at  the fellow's feet on one of the main buildings on the square.

Lublin-just a sampling

Arched gate to Old Town, Lublin

Memorial picture of Lublin resident lost in World War II

Memorial remains of Lublin Cathedral destroyed in the war

Lublin street lamp

Window decoration, Lublin

So many interesting and beautiful parts to this city of 300,000 that it is hard to choose five pictures. These are obviously in the old city.  Not a lot of building restoration has been done here, and we felt fortunate to have been able to see "the real thing" before beautification.  Though it is commendable that so many cities in Europe have spent the time and money to rebuild and restore the Old Town centers, some of the patina of history is always lost in the reconstruction.  The history of the Jewish community (50,000 or so before the war) here is particularly sad. Today there are only 10 Jews who live in Lublin - all men.

Zamosc-UNESCO World Heritage

City Hall, Zamosc

Our guide in main square, Zamosc

Decorated Armenian trader's house on main square

Reconstruction of Synagogue

Bryant, before dinner, Zamosc

Cave restaurant, Zamosc

Had a city tour of Zamosc this morning, built as the "ideal city" by a wealthy noble in the late 1500's. You can see the blue sky as a backdrop.  Our city guide and her husband own the restaurant where we ate last night, which is housed in the basement of the green building in the photos.

Sept. 23 - Pieniny National Park

Bryant (l) and Wlad (r) with vendor friend at Dunajec 

Raft segments before assembly

On the Dunajec River

Pieniny Park Karsts

Karsts along the river

The rafts aren't exactly Coast Guard approved, there wasn't a life jacket to be seen, and luckily the rapids weren't too scary. The only things that suffered were our butts.....2.5 hours on an 8 inch wide wooden bench ain't very comfy. But the scenery was magnificent. If only we'd been able to understand the (suspected) off-colour jokes of our boatman it would have been close to perfect.  You can check out the high tech wooden rafts which they hook together side by side depending on the number of passengers, and some of the scenery in the gorge.

Sept. 24 UNESCO church, castle

Church of Archangel Michael in Debno Podhalanskie, Poland

Woodcarving near Church entrance

Castle near Pieniny Park

Rural Countryside Farm

In the village of Debno is an incredible wooden church that is 500 years old. No photos are allowed inside because every inch of the walls and ceiling are covered with original paintings that have never been restored, but are clear and colourful. It is very tiny, but is one of the most awe-inspiring sights we've ever seen. Cost of admission and guided visit-60 cents. It is one of the "Wooden Churches of Little Poland" that have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Then we drove on to Pieniny National Park on the Slovak border to take a wooden rafting trip. The karst scenery was very impressive.....see next post. The castle was above the river in the park.

Sept. 24-Paderewski, bobbin lace and more...

Paderewsky's piano

Bobbin Lace Display

Countryside View

Spectacular dessert

Although we spent a lot of time in the car today, we saw a great variety of things. First stop was the home of Ignace Paderewsky, famous Polish pianist in the late 1800's-early 1900's. Then it was on to see how bobbin lace is made. We happened to be at the village where an international lace exposition is to be held next month, and had a demonstration of how to make the lace. We drove through beautiful rural countryside towards the Slovak border.  Lots of new homes in this area of lakes and hills, with chickens, cows, and horses in nearly every barnyard. Last photo in this post is my dessert tonight.....fried banana, peaches, peas, kiwi, ice cream and whipped cream. I'm proud to say I only ate half of it.

Sept. 23 Zalipie painted village

Love Lies Bleeding, Zalipie Museum Garden

Abandoned House - for Photographers

Zalipie Church with recent painting

Church painting detail

Catholic Church, Zalipie

Love Lies Bleeding is one of my favorite flowers, mostly because it's name is so perfect! This specimen was in the front yard of the Zalipie museum and painting school where we had a quick lesson in this unique folk art. Several homes and a church are decorated with the floral motifs.